Nadar (caste)
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Thanjavur, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Kollam | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil, Malayalam | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Christianity, Ayyavazhi | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tamil people |
Nadar (also referred as Nadan,Shanar) is a Tamil caste of South India and Sri Lanka. Nadars are predominant in the south Indian districts of Tuticorin, Kaniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.
The Nadar community was not a single caste, but developed from an assortment of related subcastes and classes of different origins, which in course of time, came under the single banner Nadar. Nadars are predominant in the south Indian districts of Tuticorin, Kaniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar. Nadar climber was the largest subsect of today’s Nadar community. A few subsects of the Nadar community, such as the Nelamaikkarars, were traditionally wealthy landlords and money lenders. Historically, most Nadars were cultivators of palmyra trees and jaggery and a few were also involved in the toddy trade. Nadar climbers had faced discrimination from major upper castes in some regions. A martial art that has been called Southern-style Kalaripayattu since around 1958 was historically practised by the Nadars.
The Nadars have made significant strides through their emphasis on education and entrepreneurship. The socio-economic development achieved by the Nadars in southern India has elicited academic interest. Nadars are classified and listed as an Other Backward Class by the governments of both Tamil Nadu and India.
The community was previously known as Shanar but legally changed their name to Nadar in 1921. The title Nadar is believed to be derived from the Nelamaikkarars, the aristocrats of the Shanar community who had previously used it exclusively. Nadars claim that the original name of the community was Shantror or Shandrar (noble one) which, in course of time, was corrupted to Shanar. Channar is a title used by the Ezhava community of Kerala. However, there is no evidence to support these claims.
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